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Smack-Off
The Smack-Off is an annual competition on The Jim Rome Show as a way to recognize the best callers to the show, as well as a means of determining the best caller of the year. It is held in the mid-to-late spring and takes up the entire program on a Friday. Background The Smack-Off was created because host Jim Rome and producer Travis Rodgers had sought to find a way to guarantee good calls after an extended period of bad calls. The two discussed the feasibility of such an arrangement on a daily basis but decided it could not be done. However, they figured they could accomplish that at least once each year. Rome has explained that bad calls do happen on the Smack-Off, and that he does have to run callers off. However, most callers to the Smack-Off bring their best calls of the year and usually are very entertaining. Format The Smack-Off is the only day in which Rome does not schedule interviews or offer his own takes. Also, the competition is an invitational, meaning only 30 listeners are invited to participate. Invitees are named one week prior to the event. This serves two purposes: First, it allows for a buzz and opinions to be expressed throughout the week, generating good "takes" by other callers leading up to the event. Second, Rome and his crew have, in the past, added callers if there is a glaring omission. The show's Web site often has polls asking the listener's opinion on who should or shouldn't have been invited; however, polling results do not directly affect the field. On the day of the event, Rome explains the format, repeats the invitees and warns those invited that invitation does not guarantee participation. Callers have been left off because Rome had to announce the winner. Usually, the first hour's callers begin at about the quarter-hour in the first hour; the second hour is dedicated to calls; the third hour's calls stop at about the bottom of the hour, allowing Rome to name the top 10, replay the winning call and allow a short interview with the winner. The Smack-Off began in 1995 while the program was still on local radio, but it continued into the program's syndication. On May 5, 2006 the 12th Smack-Off was held, won by four-time champion Sean the Cablinasian (a.k.a. Sean from Houston). History The Smack-Off can be separated into three distinct eras: the pre-syndication era (1995-1996), the old school years (1997-2001), and the New Generation era (2002-2005). The Pre-Syndication Era This era is known primarily for three things: the Di Tollas' strength, J.T. the Brick's win and later estrangement from Rome and the show, and the horrible performance of caller Jason in Fullerton (later known as Jason Stewart, show contributor). J.T. the Brick won the first Smack-Off and was offered a radio position from a competing radio network. Although Rome continues to invite J.T. each year, he otherwise ignores the Brick, since he resents the younger host's defecting to a competing network (though both currently work for Premiere Radio Networks; J.T. for the Fox Sports Radio division). Doc Mike and Jeffrey Di Tolla both competed strong, with Jeffrey (also known as Esquire) winning Smack-Off II. Doc Mike was a heavy favorite to win the first competition but was beaten out by the now-famous J.T. the Brick. Jason from Fullerton laid down a call that Rome later called "truly horrible" and that "might be the worst call ever in the history of the Smack-Off." Jason was one of the first Smack-Off callers to be run off. This "truly horrible" caller (in one of the more ironic twists of fate) would later became the call screener for The Jim Rome Show, known on the show as J-Stew. The Old School Years This era was dominated by those callers known by Jim as the "SoCal legends." Doc Mike Di Tolla won in 1997 and 2000; Stevie Carbone took the title in 1998; Sean the Cablinasian became the first caller outside of Southern California to win the Smack-Off in 1999. Silk in Huntington Beach won in 2001 with a take which focused on his alleged employment at 7-11 and several racially insensitive remarks such as mexican gardners, Vietnamese drivers and black people buying $5 worth of gas. This also was an era of controversial decisions. Steve Carbone (previously known as Stevie from LMU) was "Phoneslap," the phone-screener at the time. Carbone made a great call, tearing the Clones apart. His call will be best remembered for his announcement: "I am not a expletive clone!" However, conspiracy theories abound, the first being that he was the last caller of the day and the second being that he was the phone-screener. In 2000, caller Dan in D.C., made a legendary call but was denied the victory because his station, WTEM in Washington, did not carry all three hours live. Rome essentially admitted this when he said, "Dan, bang your monkey. It cost you the title." Doc Mike became the first two-time winner because of this. In 2001, caller Jim in Fall River made a historic call in which at the end of his call, an unknown animal (many have presumed it was a donkey) begins to yell in the background and Rome continues to ask Jim what the noise is, only for the caller to continue on his rant. Things got so out of control, Rome ran him only to get dozens of e-mails in the next segment about Jim raping a donkey or having Chewbacca in his house. Jim Harbaugh, who at the time was playing for the Indianapolis Colts, also called in 1998, becoming the first celebrity to participate. His call was bad, but Rome was not about to run off an NFL player, so the Clones had to sit through it. The New Generation Era The Era of Expansion in the Jungle allowed for a wider range of callers. Therefore newer callers got a chance to call in and eventually win. In this era, only one caller from Southern California won, and previous unknowns stepped up and won. In 2002, Jeff in Richmond, one of the most controversial callers in the Jungle, won with a loud, self-promoting and defiant call. Jeff, a caller known for his claims of knowing Bob Costas, riches, luxury homes and cars, and his rants against liberal politicians, ranted against Osama bin Laden, a caller known as Trapper, and then ended his call with the biggest "GOOD NIGHT NOW!!" ever heard in the Jungle. 2003 featured more new callers and the second two-time winner, Sean the Cablinasian. It also marked the fourth consecutive second-place finish for Iafrate. This Smack-Off featured a surprise third-place finish by Joe in the OC (Orange County, Calif.). A near-miss was Greg in Vegas, who might have won had it not been for a "horrible Bruce Edwards blast." Smack-Off X, in 2004, featured Iafrate's breakthrough victory, featuring his take on John Niems' infamous song, singing "Whitey's Dad" for the engineer of the program, Brian Albers. Terrence in Sierra Madre, Calif., finally made a good call but could only take third, cementing his place as the best caller never to win the Big One. Smack-Off 2005 was considered the best Smack-Off to its time. It featured the highest placement of a woman in the jungle (Rachael in Houston), Iafrate's fifth second-place finish, another third-place finish for Terrence in Sierra Madre, and the first three-time winner, Sean the Cablinasian. Smack-Off 2006 featured Sean the Cablinasian becoming a four-time champion, and the first-ever back-to-back winner of the Smack-Off in Jungle history. Sean sealed his win by telling Rome he'd talk to him in about an hour (Sean made his call in the middle of the second hour) and by ending his call with "Boom goes the dynamite." Oren in Denver, a promising first-time Smack-Off participant, continued his war of words with Jeff in Richmond but got run because there seemed to be no end in sight to his call. The Smack-Off also featured impresive performances by Rachel in Houston (fifth place), Iafrate (fourth place), who spent most of his call cracking on Terrence in Sierra Madre (who once again failed to win his first Smack-Off), and called the Smack-Off the "Cablifrate Invitational" referring to him and Seany taking first and second over the last years by saying "You had to go back when Saddam actually had WMDs to find anyone other than Sean and me who medaled higher than bronze." and cracking on George Mason University for making it to the Final Four and proclaiming "Nobody cares who came in fourth" (Which makes it ironic that he came in fourth place) and Joe in the O.C. (third place). Greg in Vegas finished second behind Sean with some stinging, yet politically incorrect, takes to which Jim remarked "I'm not sure whether to run him or rack him." All-time winners Invitations Invitations are attained in two fashions. The first is as recognition for body of work, multiple "awards" of Huge Call of the Day (a show-ending playback of what Rome has selected as the best call of the show), lifetime achievement, or as a reward for an especially exceptional call. Longtime invitations do not mean people might not lose their invitation, as Rome threatened to do to Kerwin in Riverside before Smack-Off 2005. Rome can offer invitations for any reason, or none at all, and he admits that the invitation process is totally subjective. The second is in the form of a lifetime exemption. Previous winners get automatic invitations every year. They can go the entire year without calling and still be invited. J.T. the Brick, for instance, has not called in years but still is invited to participate every year. Sean the Cablinasian is famous for flaunting the fact that he only calls for the Smack-Off. One of the major questions whenever invitations are announced is which callers will get their first invitation. Usually, first-time invitees do not fare well in the Smack-Off, but exceptions occur, such as Joe in the O.C. and Casey in Vegas. SoCal legends have had longtime invitations. Silk in Huntington Beach was able to eventually co-opt this privilege into a personal lifetime exemption by winning in 2001. Other longtime invitees through the SoCal Special are Terrence in Sierra Madre, Trapper in Dana Point, and Irie Craig. Conclusion The Smack-Off stands as the most important day of the Jungle for fans. It has become the day to honor the best callers (according to Rome) and also recalls high points in the past year for listeners, as well as bringing back old memories from the high points in the show. See also *Jim Rome *The Jim Rome Show *Smack-Off 2006 *Smack-Off 2005 *Smack-Off 2004 *Jim Rome is Burning *Jim Rome Tour Stops External links * Jim Rome official website * Stucknut.com, Unofficial fan forum * A history of the Smack-Off, with some audio Category:1995 establishments Category:Sports competitions Category:Jim Rome